How To Reduce Indoor Air Pollution

You can no longer ignore the fact that more people prefer to stay indoors now. Why go outside if you can accomplish the same things, if not more, from the comforts of your own home. You can study or work, connect with family, friends, and colleagues, shop, or just about everything as long as you have a great Internet connection and a computer or a smart device. The hours will just pass by and you won’t even notice it. There is even no such thing as the word “boring” anymore because there are countless things you can do on your own.

Homeowners make it their business to clean their homes at all times because it is where their loved ones stay but no matter how meticulous you are in cleaning, hidden dirt will be there. These pathogens and allergens are just lurking in a dark corner waiting to be swept into one part of the house to the other. Experts have discovered that indoor air is actually five times more polluted than the air outside the house. Damp portions of the home are even dirtier as mold often grows in these places.

Your home doesn’t get dirty because of it being lived in but the use of cleaning products and cooking can also affect the quality of the indoor air. And if you don’t make it a habit to air out your home by opening the windows, all these dirt is trapped and continues to circulate in your very living space.

In this world of convenience and tech-connectedness, why do some people report feeling sluggish, depressed and even perpetually sick?

One possibility is that there’s an insidious side effect to all this innovation: People are hardly leaving their indoor habitats. In fact, a recent report by VELUX backed by data from YouGov, an international market research and data analytics firm, highlights some startling statistics about “the Indoor Generation” — and how the inclination to stay inside affects health and happiness.

Even the very air you breathe out contributes to indoor air pollution. And if there is more of you in the house, you can easily put two and two together. Instead of breathing in oxygen, you end up inhaling carbon dioxide, which shouldn’t be the case because your health will suffer.

You shouldn’t just turn a blind eye to it because the human lungs is a major body organ that can make living doubly harder if constantly exposed to pollutants.

Simple measures are enough to keep the air inside your house clean. You don’t even need to spend money for it all the time. The first thing you can do is to stop doing those things that exacerbate indoor air pollution such as using too harsh chemicals when cleaning, always lighting scented candles, smoking indoors, cooking with a lot of smoke, etc.

Indoor air pollution is very much real and it can be five times or more worse than outdoor air pollution.From everyday consumer products and household habits such as paints, pet allergens to cooking gas, can be an additional source of air pollution. So, what now and how do we shield ourselves?

Bornali Dutta, Associate Director Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Medanta – The Medicity, said: “According to the World Health Organization (WHO) global air pollution database released in Geneva, India has 14 out of the 15 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 concentrations. It said 7 million people die every year because of outdoor and household air pollution…Reports like these suggest that the impact of pollution on human health is fatal.

The presence of carpets can be a source of dirt and dust too. If you can’t commit to regular vacuuming, you just might as well remove them especially if you have people with allergies and certain sensitivities living with you. Young kids are the most vulnerable as they are the ones who often play on the floor and whose inquisitive nature will bring them to just about every nook and cranny of your home.

Ventilation should not be missed as well. A well-ventilated space will be able to move air in and out of the house but not all the time it works to your advantage especially when your HVAC system isn’t in great shape. Get all your equipment, especially the vents, checked first because they can make a world of difference to the air you breathe inside your home. It’s no longer just simply opening a window now as there are more complex ventilation systems running all over your home.

1 Be air aware

Although you may think of pollution as being “outside”, indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. This is because unlike the open outdoors, indoor spaces are contained, any pollution or contaminants that may be present can accumulate. You should be conscious of the indoor air quality, especially as nowadays people spend, on average, 90pc of their time indoors – eg at home, at work, in other public buildings such as shops or in a vehicle.

Check your home’s insulation. Or better yet, ask a pro to do it for you. Insulation can affect HVAC efficiency and eventually the overall indoor air quality. It won’t hurt as well if you add some greenery because they can help absorb the excess CO2 circulating. There is no simple answer to addressing this problem with indoor air pollution because it takes a comprehensive approach that is done over time. A gradual change in lifestyle is the key along with professional help.

If you’re looking for a local HVAC professional, contact us today!

The video will show us how we can improve the quality of your indoor air with the use of a heat recovery ventilator.